New system helps you find lost/stolen items in Treasure Valley

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BOISE, Idaho (KBOI) - A new program in the Treasure Valley could give you a better shot at getting back lost or stolen items. It's called TrackMole, and it's a free site that allows you to register your valuable belongings' serial numbers, in case they go missing. If police or anyone else finds an item of yours, they can contact you with just a click of a mouse and get it back to you

"I've been a detective for ten years, and this is the most exciting software I've seen," said Boise Police Detective Jeff Dustin.

Dustin's job is to return lost or stolen items that are found in places like pawn shops, or on Craigslist and Ebay back to their owners. But thousands of those items end up never being reclaimed because most people don't have the serial numbers of their missing belongings on hand to report them after they've gone missing.

Dustin believes TrackMole can fix that problem.

"It's set up to break the disconnect between lost or stolen property and property owners," he said.

Once you set up an account, you can enter the serial numbers of as many items like bikes, tools, guns and electronics as you want. Then you enter your contact information so that if one of your items goes missing and someone else finds it, they can get on the site, type in the serial number and instantly let you know that it's been found.

The Boise Police Department says it's now running every item it finds into the system. The Ada County Sheriff's Office and police departments in Garden City, Meridian, Eagle and Star are also implementing the system into their detective work.

So even if something of yours is found a couple of cities over, you have a better chance of getting it back when you're on TrackMole.

"Help us help you," Dustin said. "If you like your property, put it in here, and then it's easy if it's lost or stolen...we can find it."

The website can also act as a safeguard if, for example, your home catches fire. All of the items you list in TrackMole can be exported to an Excel spreadsheet that you can use to file an insurance claim.